Network applications are continuing to increase in complexity due to an ever expanding assortment of new services available for use with the applications. Therefore, an increasing amount of development resources are required to keep pace with coordinating the network applications to include these new services, typically based on user demand.
In compilation of the network applications, an exact definition of these services needs to be available (i.e. predefined) to the compiler in order to result in a successful executable application. For example, with current OSGi™ Alliance (formerly Open Services Gateway Initiative) Java™ applications, a JAR file of the network application contains a static manifest of all the implementation-specific Application Program Interfaces (APIs) specifying the functions available to external programs, including class definitions. Runtime links can only be successfully created between the cooperating network application and services when all these services (and the application) are available to be loaded into the same Java™ process. A further example of current compilation procedures is with the use of header files, which represents a static library of all implementation-specific APIs to be used in compilation of the network application. For instance, based on the contents of the header file, the compiler finds the corresponding envelope of linked services and finds a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that contains the services needed by the network application code being compiled. One disadvantage with the current compilation procedures is that the code of the network application must be compiled with predefined (i.e. static) definitions of the services that were locally available prior to starting the compilation process. A second disadvantage with the current compilation procedures, and implementation of the executable application, is that there is no standard communication interface provided between the application and the services linked to the application.
The systems and methods as disclosed herein provide an execution environment to obviate or mitigate at least some of the above presented disadvantages.